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In Wisconsin, the 2010 campaign story distilled

Running for office had never crossed Ron Johnson's mind, but the president changed all that. | AP Photo

He was liberal enough to win Democrats and independent enough to win independents and skilled enough to win overall in 1992 with 51 percent; in 1998 with 53 percent and again in 2004 with 55 percent.

State Rep. Gordon Hintz, a Democrat who represents this area, spent much of the past two elections knocking on doors and listening. What he hears emphatically is that voters, especially independents, are losing faith in politicians and government. It’s more disgust than anger — and it’s aimed at Democrats like Feingold simply because they are in power. “A lot of people were willing to vote on hope” in 2008, Hintz says, but “now many are quick to turn hard” against the ruling party.

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Feingold needs what every other Democrat in trouble needs: his base to get out of its slumber. It was at a fundraiser in Madison last week that Vice President Joe Biden poked a group of activists for being “the dullest audience I have ever spoken to.” It's not the best way to get people to fork over cash, but it did grab some attention.

Feingold needs Obama, even if he has appeared reluctant to share the stage with the president. Specifically, he needs Obama to recapture the imagination of young voters who put John Kerry in 2004 and Obama in 2008 over the top in the state with big turnouts in Dane County, and among other activists on Democratic turf. Obama appeared to pull this off when he drew 26,000 people to a rally in Madison last month. Still, it seems unlikely any amount of intervention can get Democrats as worked up about this election as conservatives and angry independents.

Johnson, at least rhetorically, is much more in line with the mood of the moment. Guided by GOP insider Curt Anderson, Johnson has poured millions of dollars into what often seems like a rather cautious campaign. In the interview, it was clear the professional handlers have gotten to Johnson. He is very reluctant to engage in specifics on Social Security and Medicare, even though his admiration of and ideological connection to fellow Wisconsinite Rep. Paul Ryan make plain what direction he would head in if elected.

He feels stung by a story in the Journal Sentinel in which he questioned the science behind global warming and said "sun spots" are just as much to blame. It lacked context, he says, though he considers himself a strong global warming skeptic. So he watches his words, ignoring the fact that he's already making the trade-offs conventional politicians make to win office. It will be different once and if he wins, he promises. Then, his true feelings can take voice.

Indeed, Johnson and Anderson are already talking about what kind of senator he would be. Anderson presented the two options: legislator or messenger. "I will be a messenger," he says, pointing to Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) as a kind of guiding star in the Senate.

This is what makes the outcome of this election so intriguing. If Johnson and others like him win, they seem less interested in plunging into specific legislation and more inclined to wage a philosophical messaging war to change the GOP and the nature of governance. Asked what innovative ideas he might push in office, Johnson didn't talk of tax reform or private Social Security accounts, or of anything a conventional senator might do.

Instead, he committed himself to a "re-education of America" and talked about how expectations of government help are spinning wildly out of control, creating “a culture of dependency" that has little appreciation for what it takes for individuals and businesses to thrive. One could easily hear Angle in Nevada and Paul in Kentucky making the same case, with the same intensity, using the same words to win — and planning the same approach if elected.

One result is a significant surge in the number of people who describe themselves as conservative (not Republican, but conservative). The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which provides comprehensive and essential coverage of this race, illuminated this trend last week. It showed that two recent and respected polls found that almost 50 percent of voters said they are conservative – a double-digit increase over recent elections.

The same thing is happening in many of the other most competitive races. Perhaps it’s a collective feeling of austerity, a need to get budgets in line, both at the personal and government level, that explains this shift. Regardless, it's working in the favor of Republicans like Johnson and against Democrats like Feingold.

The reaction of the Washington elitist ruling class to the economic situation these past two years was not in line with the values of a majority of Americans. As we were all required to decrease our spending, tighten our belts, sacrifice, see our families and friends suffer.....what did Obama and the Democrats do?.....They expanded the federal government spending and authority......That expansion, especially in the future with the HCR law, which requires us all to spend money, our hard earned money, was the last straw and is why we are seeing this conservative resurgence.

Economic excuses for such an expansion are questionable, especially as the decisions on how that money is spent remains in the hands of a powerful few in Washington. The same old special interests seem to benefit and the same old deals were made.....the deficit increased, new entitlements were formed, new programs created, more federal workers needed, more forms, more inefficiency.....etc........

No change.

Feingold has been in DC for a long time and I think that is also a problem for the ruling class....people want limits on how long they serve and how powerful these representatives become....especially as they become beholden to party, the special interests and their big donors.

As one who grew up in Wisconsin, I am ashamed that my home State would even consider not re-electing Russ Feingold.

He has done the right things. He is a progressive in the proudest Wisconsin tradition. He is an independent in this time where independence is particularly valued. He has consistently taken on the powerful interests that frustrate us.

If there is anyone who deserves re-elecion in this tumultuous year, it is Russ. Hopefully, Wisconsin will do what is in the best interests of Wisconsin and the Nation.